


love is not love which alters when it alteration finds

by starraya



Category: Holby City
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-13 00:53:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11748714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starraya/pseuds/starraya
Summary: The first time Bernie sees Serena in months, sunlight crowns Serena's silver hair and a smile creases her eyes. Bernie breaks down.OR I AM MESS OF EMOTION NOW AND MY LESBIANS GOT THEIR HAPPY ENDING. THEY MADE IT OUT - BARELY - ALIVE FROM THE CLUTCHES OF THE WRITERS BUT THEY'RE TOGETHER AGAIN AND THEY'RE GOING TO HEAL TOGETHER.





	love is not love which alters when it alteration finds

Bernie's told Serena she's coming to France, told her she's left Holby, but little else. She can't, not over the phone. And Serena doesn't ask. Just waits. As Bernie had waited for her all those weeks. 

The first time Bernie sees Serena in months, sunlight crowns Serena's silver hair and a smile creases her eyes. Bernie breaks down.

She doesn't mean to, didn't mean to, but the moment Serena wraps her arms around Bernie's waist, the moment Bernie inhales the scent of Serena - soap and perfume and something else, something new - Bernie can't seem to stop.

The loss of her trauma unit is a wound still open and bleeding. The betrayal of her colleagues. The indifference. The disregard.

If there's one thing, Bernie has missed about Serena - the queen of life-long-take-it-to-the-grace grudges, the woman who spilled her heart to Bernie the day she left for Ukraine - is that she doesn't do indifference or disregard.

She feels. Even if the emotions bubble over on their own accord, she feels them. Lives them and doesn't hide from them.

Bernie sobs against Serena's shoulder, finally lets go after months of putting on a brave face. Pretending she wasn't lonely, wasn't missing something. 

Yesterday, Holby no longer felt like home. Bernie realises that, ever since Serena left, it's been feeling less like home. Like a house, gradually redecorated, the walls painted a new colour, the old photos swapped, the furniture moves around, until one day you stand in the middle of the room and don't recongise the place.

Home doesn't feel like home.

Bernie sobs and clings to the only thing that does. Serena clutches her, rubs Bernie's back until the tears start to slow. Serena draws back to wipe a tear from Bernie's cheek.

"Hello stranger. Fancy a cup of tea?"

Bernie nods, lets Serena take her hand and lead her into her apartment. 

"I might even stretch to a good old chit-chat if you're lucky," Serena laughs, but feels Bernie lag behind her and turns around.

“I don’t want to talk," Bernie says.

“What?”

“Later. Just … not yet.”

“Then - ”

Bernie cuts her off with a kiss, pushes her against the wall, kisses her harder.

And God, Serena’s missed this. Missed Bernie. 

“Talk later,” she agrees when Bernie finally gives her time to breathe. “Bed now.”

They don’t make it to the bed.

When they do, when they’ve made love and slept and it’s dawn and they’re entangled in each other and Serena goes to rise and make breakfast, Bernie refuses to let her leave and pulls her back.

“Five minutes.”

“I’ll get us some coffee.”

“Five minutes.”

“Okay.”

So Serena stays and Bernie tightens her arm around her.

“How long until they need you in Sudan?”

“Couple of weeks.”

“Oh.”

“You can get a lot done in a fortnight, Campbell.” Bernie grins at her.

“I know," Serena's fingers flutter against her neck. "I was just wondering well … I was starting to get restless here and perhaps …”

“I thought you wanted your own vineyard.” 

“I did, but there’s something I want more.”

“What?”

“You, you idiot.”

“Oh.”

“I mean only if you want … I went away, needed some time away alone and it isn’t fair if you feel the same now and -”

“No, it sounds like a good plan.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Bernie entwines her fingers through Serena’s. “You and me.”

Serena brings their hands to her mouth, presses her lips to Bernie’s knuckles.

“You and me.”


End file.
